


A Late Night Search

by Deannie



Series: Two Gentlemen of Atlantis [2]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-08-15
Updated: 2005-08-15
Packaged: 2017-12-13 08:46:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/822348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deannie/pseuds/Deannie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zelenka goes in search of coffee and finds Rodney. That has to suck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Late Night Search

Even on a continent of constant sunlight, every day had a night. 

Though here in Antarctica, it helped that they worked deep underground. On the surface, the nights were created artificially by heavy black curtains that made the bunkhouses feel more like caves than the underground complex itself. Down here, the time of day was dictated by the cycle of the electric lights they'd set up around much of the delicate equipment, and it was the lack of these that let Radek Zelenka know that it was very late at night indeed. The feeble blue lights left behind by the Ancients were the only illumination in the hall outside the lab he was working in. 

His watch told him that it was 3:45 in the morning. His body told him he needed coffee. His mind told him he needed to ignore his body and get this translation cipher written before the rest of the science team awoke and began making nuisances of themselves. 

He chose not to remind his mind that he had to have caffeine to complete the current subroutine and simply stood, stretched hard, and headed for the commissary. 

"Dr. Zelenka." 

Young marines had been sprouting from the walls lately. The new military contingent arrived three days ago, and so far, most of them had wisely stayed out of the scientists' way. At least _they_ managed to remember his name--unlike a certain chief scientist. 

"Lieutenant Ford," he replied politely, moving on before the friendly young man standing guard could engage him in any further conversation. He enjoyed a nice chat as much as the next man, but tonight, he was on a mission and moved quickly toward the coffee that would help him accomplish it. 

He stopped dead in the doorway of the commissary and contemplated walking out again without his caffeine. At a table by the counter sat Rodney McKay, who had shown himself to be the most irritating man Radek had ever had the misfortune to meet. He rarely saw the egotist--McKay seemed almost obsessed by the technology of the Ancients' chair and Radek himself was far more interested in the contents of their database--but what little interaction they'd had had been contentious at best and had Radek contemplating violence at worst. 

Still... he needed coffee. While he rarely slept more than a few hours a night, he'd foregone even that much last night in search of the ever-illusive cipher that would crack the deepest levels of the Ancients' computer system, and he found himself desperate for some sort of stimulant to get him through until morning. Then, once he had the translation program ready for Dr. Herndon to look over, he could go back to his quarters and sleep the day away. Hard and fast schedules meant very little in Antarctica. It was results that mattered. 

Bowing to the inevitable, he chose to try a quick in-and-out maneuver, designed to attract the least attention from the obnoxious man who was poring over a schematic of that maddening chair. If Radek was lucky, McKay would be too wrapped up in his obsession to notice him at all. 

Radek approached the coffee machine, got down a cup, poured the coffee... nearly full now. Almost there... 

"So, how's that database coming, Zinlaka?" 

_Hovno.*_ McKay was not the only person here who could not remember his name, but he was the only one that made Radek think he _meant_ to forget it. 

"The translation program is proceeding." The fewest possible words... a move toward the door.... 

McKay let out a tired snort. "Between your reputation and Herdon's, I didn't think it would take this long," he griped. It was clear from his tone that he felt he could have completed the task in far less time. And was it necessary for him to mangle the names of the entire science staff? Radek swore the man did it only to annoy. 

Would Radek really be sent back to Norkosky-Panova if he killed the man? Probably. 

Though at least at Panova, they left him alone to do his work and did not criticize him for the time it took. 

Radek took a deep breath. Dusana had always said he was too quick to take offense when he was tired. And it was obvious that McKay was tired, as well. The man's eyes threatened to drift closed as he stared at the schematic before him... Radek had noticed that the constant sunlight had caused McKay to be even less personable than usual. In fact, everyone had noticed. The man had reduced Ji Soo to tears yesterday simply for inputting one wrong variable. 

He was truly a most distasteful man. Surely, no court would convict Radek for removing him, yes? 

No. Discretion. And valor. 

"I had better get back to it, then," he stated quietly, resolutely walking out the door. 

"I expect an update tomorrow," McKay called after him. "I mean, we don't really have all year to find out what's in there, do we?" 

Radek refused to give in to the temptation to go back and ask exactly _why_ they didn't have all year. After all, Antarctica had shown itself a rather stable continent. The base was going nowhere that he could tell. 

And unfortunately, neither was he, he realized as he finally escaped and sat back down before his computer. This subroutine still had to be finished. 

If for no other reason than to get that _gauner*_ McKay off his back. 

But at least now he had caffeine to sustain him. Even if he had had to run up against the most annoying man on the continent to get it. 

* * * * * * *  
The End 

_*hovno_ =shit  
 _gauner_ =bastard


End file.
